This book explores the experiences of the German Afrikakorps soldier during the North Africa campaign, from the Korps' arrival in-theatre in February 1941 to its eventual surrender in Tunisia in May 1943, with a particular focus on the intense period of warfare in the Western Desert between 1941 and 1942. Under the leadership of one of the war's most famous commanders, Erwin Rommel, the Afrikakorps grew to include a broad range of armour, infantry, artillery, anti-tank, engineer, communications, supply, medical and service elements. The soldiers of the Afrikakorps considered themselves as part of an elite, a highly select group that had no equal, not only in the German Army, but in the rest of the world.

Pier Paolo Battistelli earned his PhD in Military History at the University of Padua. A scholar of German and Italian politics and strategy throughout World War II, he is active in Italy and abroad writing books and essays on military history subjects. A contributor to the Italian Army Historical Office, he is currently revising his PhD thesis for publication: The War of the Axis: German and Italian Military Partnership in World War Two, 1939-1943.